


Two Hundred and Eighty-Seven

by Aintzane411



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, But mostly angst, Character Death, Fluff and Angst, M/M, apparently angst is all i'm good for, im so sorry for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-23 00:05:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9630782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aintzane411/pseuds/Aintzane411
Summary: Their first kiss was desperate and angry. Their second was significantly less so. But every kiss was perfect. All two hundred and eighty-seven of them.





	

Their first kiss was desperate and angry. No surprises there, of course. It was after an intense fight to rescue a Galra-ruled planet, and Lance almost died. Well, Lance almost dies a lot, but this time was the closest, by far. The other pilots watched in horror as the blue lion took a direct hit and plummeted to the surface of the planet. With no response over the comms, they all knew that Lance was down for the count.

A week and a half in a healing pod. A week and a half of worry and stress over whether Lance had lost too much blood or not. A week and a half of looking into the pod to see the dark circles under Lance's eyes and the head wound knitting together excruciatingly slowly.

When he finally stumbled out, groggy and weak, it was Keith who was there to steady him. And when Lance made a half-hearted joke, Keith was just so _angry_ and relieved that he surged forward to press his lips against Lance's. Keith's hands held Lance's body tight against him, as if they couldn't get close enough.

Their first kiss was unexpected, but nice.

 ________________

Their second kiss was soft. The two boys had danced around the issue long enough, and Pidge had finally forced them to actually talk about what happened after Lance woke up. So they did. Talking was hard, especially for Keith, but they managed to stumble their way through an awkward conversation. After that, it felt like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders, and they each found themselves smiling a little bit more.

It was cliché, really. A one-on-one sparring session between the two that ended with Keith pinned to the floor and Lance's face inches away. Neither one noticed quite how cheesy it was, however, and Lance's eyes softened as he gently leaned in.

Keith knew his lips were chapped, and probably really dry. He was sweaty and breathing heavy from the exercise. His heart was racing, but probably not from the exercise.

"Relax," Lance whispered against Keith's lips before pressing against them again. Keith did as he was told.

When Pidge came in to call them to dinner, she groaned and made a big deal about them defiling the castle.

  ________________

Their twenty-fifth kiss was open-mouthed and needy. This time Lance was the one pinned against a wall, and he panted and moaned against Keith's mouth. Keith smirked and moved to the delicate skin under Lance's jaw, gently biting and sucking. Lance whined and tangled his fingers in Keith's hair, gently pulling. It was hot and heavy and just what they needed

  ________________

Their hundredth kiss was chaste, and passed unnoticed. It was another day of Lance's least favorite activity; early-morning training. He wasn't a morning person in any sense of the word, and when he walked into the dining area still rubbing sleep from his eyes, Keith couldn't help but smile.

They sat next to each other, as always, and Lance leaned his head on Keith's shoulder. Keith kissed the top of Lance's head, causing him to look up sleepily, so Keith kissed his lips too.

Pidge groaned and flicked food goo at them.

  ________________

Their two hundredth kiss was panicked. They were onboard a Galra cargo ship and the enemy reinforcements had just arrived. The other three paladins were in their lions, trying to hold off the troops while Lance and Keith made their way to the bridge to get much-needed information on Zarkon's location.

Things weren't going well, however, and the two boys found themselves outnumbered and overpowered. It wasn't the original plan, but Lance knew that they would have to split up in hopes of losing the Galra. They were running down corridor after corridor, and Lance finally saw a way out. A vent. He aimed his gun at the metal grate, blasting it off, and the two sprinted towards it, hearing loud footsteps coming closer.

"Go," Lance insisted, pushing Keith towards the opening. "Get to the bridge."

Keith's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? I'm not going to leave you!"

Lance pulled Keith in and kissed him hard, pulling away quickly. He leaned their foreheads together. "I love you."

It was the first time either of them had said those words. Keith was frozen for a second, but jolted out of it when Lance yelled for him to go. As he crawled into the vent, he heard Lance turn to face the oncoming soldiers and begin to fire his rifle.

  ________________

Their two hundred and twentieth kiss was slow and languid. They were laying in Keith's bed, naked and sweaty and spent. They laid facing each other, not saying anything, but just enjoying the other's company. Keith's fingers gently traced the long scar that Lance had gotten on the cargo ship.

The injury had caused Lance to spend yet another week in a healing pod. The kiss they shared upon his exit was their two hundred and first, and it was eerily similar to their first kiss. Once again, he had almost died, but this time it was protecting Keith.

"Are you okay?" asked Lance, pulling Keith back to the present.

Keith nodded and pulled Lance closer. He gently pressed their lips together and tried to ignore the pinprick of tears behind his eyes.

  ________________

Their two hundred and eighty sixth kiss was unforgettable.

It was in the blue lion, and the floor was slick with Keith's blood. The ship was on autopilot and headed straight for the castle, where Allura and Coran were ready to whisk the red paladin into a healing pod.

Lance knelt on the floor, applying pressure to the gaping wound in Keith's stomach. Keith's breathing was shallow, and his skin was unnaturally pale. Lance was crying.

"Come on, buddy," he said urgently, "we're almost there. Just hang in there, Keith."

Keith's eyelids were heavy, but every time he let them slide closed, Lance was shaking him and yelling to stay awake.

There had been an ambush. The team was on a diplomatic visit with the royal family of a planet not yet overcome by the Galra. Or so they had thought. It turns out that the royals were working with Zarkon's forces, and the minute that the paladins stepped foot into the palace, it was overrun with soldiers. Keith and Lance fought side-by-side, and Lance saw the exact moment that Keith was hit by the blast.

The laser ripped through flesh, and Keith screamed and collapsed. Lance rushed to his side.

And now, in his lion, there was nothing more he could do but desperately press on the gash and mentally will Blue to fly faster.

"Lance," Keith said weakly, reaching a hand up to Lance's cheek. "I... I d-don't think I can --"

"No. Stop," Lance insisted. "Don't do this. You're going to be fine."

Keith's eyelids fluttered again as he let his hand fall back down to the side. He was struggling to keep his eyes open. "Now you're the one c-cradling me in your arms," he said with a small smile.

"We're gonna get you into a healing pod," Lance insisted, his vision blurry through the tears. "Coran's already got it waiting for you. You'll be good as new in a week or so, okay?" He leaned down and pressed their lips together, letting the kiss say everything he needed it to. He could taste Keith's blood.

When he pulled away, Keith's eyes were closed, and his breathing was impossibly shallow.

Their two hundred and eighty sixth kiss was their last.

  ________________

They couldn't have a regular funeral. Not a true Earth funeral. No one wanted to bury Keith on any planet besides his home planet, and they all knew that it was too much of a risk to go back. So instead they cremated him - because of course this fucking castle had to have everything, including a morgue. Lance and Shiro were the ones to carry him down to the depths of the ship and light the furnace. They watched as the flames softly consumed Keith's body.

Shiro was crying. Lance was not.

The next time they landed at a particularly scenic planet, Hunk mentioned the ashes. Shiro agreed that Keith would have liked this place, and suggested a hill a little ways away that overlooked a vast ocean.

Lance stayed quiet.

Pidged fetched the ashes, and they all met up at the top of the hill. A gentle breeze was blowing, and the two suns were high in the sky. Each paladin said a few tearful words, but not much needed to be said.

Lance was last. He held Keith's box in his hands, not knowing what to say. He opened his mouth a few times, but quickly closed it, feeling tears sting his eyes. Instead, he brought the box to his face and gently kissed it.

Two hundred and eighty seven.

 


End file.
